Some of you may have seen that the home where Amazon.com (first called Cadabra) was famously born is now on the market for sale. See the article below as first reported by www.GeekWire.com.
Thank you!
Franklin Jones
Silicon Valley might have the HP Garage, but Seattle has the Amazon Mailbox.
Amazon’s first home, a residential property at 10704 N.E. 28th St. in Bellevue, Wash., was listed for sale Monday at an asking price of $1,488,888, complete with an historic artifact on the curb.
Much of the 3-bedroom, 1.75-bath house has been renovated since Jeff Bezos rented the home in the mid-1990s for a venture then known as Cadabra Inc. However, the property still holds an oversized mailbox, believed to have been used by Bezos and the company’s early employees to accommodate the book catalogs they were receiving for the online bookstore, later renamed Amazon.com.*
The mailbox has no official historical designation, but the buyer, whomever it turns out to be, will be informed of its significance, listing agent Pat Sullivan of John L. Scott Real Estate assured GeekWire when reached via phone this afternoon.
“It is the very first Amazon address, and it always will be,” Sullivan said.
As tech journalists in the Seattle region, we’ve been keeping tabs on this house for years, given the historical significance, and we often cite it as inspiration for startups. After all, from this modest suburban home emerged one of the most valuable and influential companies in the world.
Then again, maybe modest isn’t the right word anymore. The asking price is more than double the $620,000 that the home fetched a decade ago. However, Sullivan said he didn’t put a premium on the price as a result of the history, and the listing price is in line with current market value. The growth of Amazon and the rebound of Microsoft have helped to create a surge in home values over the past several years in many parts of the Seattle region.
The lead photo on the listing does include a note that the home was “The birthplace of Amazon,” and Sullivan of course won’t be disappointed if the home’s history results in a bidding war that escalates the price beyond the listing price.
Here’s the full description from the listing.
Magnificent in West Bellevue! This charming Craftsman was rebuilt in 2001 w/ an enormous great room that’s perfect for entertaining! It boasts 13’ vltd pine ceiling & river rock fplc. Fabulous granite & maple kitchen entices the cook. Master suite w/divine tiled shower. Hardwoods, crown mldg, lots of skylights & natural light. Meticulous setting, big party deck w/ hot tub, fenced yard, 10×20 strg shed. Very well cared for! A slice of history-Jeff Bezos started Amazon in the garage in the 1990’s!
Hey, wait a second, isn’t a certain richest person in the world in need of a new place to live right now? Now that would be going full circle!
Open houses are scheduled from noon to 2 p.m. Wednesday and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, and you never know who might show up. Offers are set to be reviewed a week from today.
*Amazon changed its name from Cadabra, a reference to “abracadabra,” after people on the phone misheard it as “cadaver.”
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